Author's Note: This story is written with love and appreciation for Melinda (carylfan10/SamandDianeFan10) and all of her support. I haven't watched MASH in ages, so if I have made any mistakes with the details, please forgive me. Wheels began turning for this as soon as I finished reading Melinda's wonderful story, and I hope that I've done justice to it.

Daniel's heart pounded, and his fingers shook as he placed the international phone call. Making a call to Korea was always something of a crapshoot, given that it was literally a war zone. But this was too important. Daniel needed to speak to the only person on Earth who might possibly understand the loss he was feeling now, the loss of his beloved Hawkeye. He and Hawk had been father and son. But somewhere along the line, they'd become best friends as well.

But all of that had changed when Hawk was drafted and sent off to war. Though Hawk was definitely reluctant to go, he knew it was the right thing. If he could do his part to help minimize the casualties of this war, he would. That had been the one comfort Daniel found in sending his son halfway around the world. Sure, there was always the chance that Hawkeye might not come back, but there was no avoiding that risk. Unfortunately, he couldn't beat the odds.

After what seemed like hours, a voice came on the line. "4077th MASH unit. Corporal O'Reilly speaking."

"Yes, I'd like to speak to BJ Hunnicut. I'm Dr. Daniel Pierce. I was...I was Hawkeye – Captain Pierce's father." Just saying those words, in the past tense, made his heart ache more than he could stand.

"You're Captain Pierce's father? Um, hang on. I'll go get him. Just don't hang up, Dr. Pierce – sir." Radar took his headset off. He bolted across camp to the Swamp. Hesitantly, he entered the tent. Captains Pierce and Hunnicut sat, enjoying drinks made from their illegal still. "Captain Pierce, your father's on the phone. I think he got the telegram from the War Department. He asked to speak to Captain Hunnicut, but I thought you'd want to tell him you're alive."

Hawkeye stood at once. "Right. Beej, if there's any wounded, cover for me."

BJ nodded. They might be in Korea to save lives, but BJ knew he would give almost anything to talk to Peg for even a moment. That was always the worst part of this job, being so far from family and friends.

Radar and Hawkeye made the trip back to the company clerk's office in record time. Hawkeye sat down and immediately put the headphones on. "Dad? Are you there?"

Daniel's heart nearly stopped. Was it possible that he was hearing the voice of his son? "Hawkeye...is that...is that you? Are you all right?"

"Yes. Dad, I'm just fine. I sent you a telegram to let you know, but it figures the Army would get to you first."

"Oh, thank God you're alive." Daniel Pierce wasn't an emotional man. He'd barely shed a tear in public at his wife's funeral. But now the tears were flowing down his cheeks in a river.

Hawkeye could feel the emotion his father's voice all the way from Crabapple Cove. "Dad, I'm alive, and I love you. I just wanted you to know that." Hawkeye recalled his recent conversation with Charles, where he'd learned that the pompous surgeon was separated from his father by a distance that could never be measured on a map. He'd never been more grateful for the bond he shared with his own father.

"I love you too, son. I thought that I'd never get to see you, never get to tell you how proud I am of you. I know you hate being in Korea, but you're doing the right thing. You're saving lives, and nothing could be more important than that. It's why we became doctors."

"Actually, I just did it to score with the nurses." Hawk felt himself smile, and suddenly, it seemed as if the distance between Korea and Maine got just a bit smaller.

With all his heart, Daniel wished that he could hug his son. Even if he was over there saving lives, it still wasn't fair. Didn't the army care that people had families back home? There were plenty of young men who were eligible to go to war. Why did Uncle Sam have to send his son so far away? Daniel knew he should say something. He was wasting valuable time, especially when there was so much he needed to tell his son. But his emotions were going in a hundred directions, and he couldn't seem to put them into words.

Beside Hawkeye, Radar stood frozen. "I hear choppers. They're loaded."

Hawkeye nodded. Radar had a strange gift of sorts – he could tell when helicopters were on their way, bringing wounded, long before the sound reached the 4077th. Hawkeye nodded with a grim expression. "Um, Dad? Are you still there?"

"Yes, son. I'm here."

"There are wounded on the way. I've got to go. But I'll write soon. I promise. Just don't rent out my room or anything. Because I'm definitely coming back. I'm not going to die in this hellhole."

Daniel understood that Hawkeye was trying to make a joke, use his trademark wit to cover the tragedy of this awful war. But they both knew that there was nothing remotely funny about it. "All right, son. I won't. I love you. Don't ever forget that." Daniel felt the need to reiterate that point, just in case. Because this was a war, and there were no guarantees.

"I won't, Dad. I love you, too." Hawkeye turned back to the company clerk. He could tell from Radar's expression that he was out of time. The choppers were nearly here. "Bye, Dad." The words came out with a deep sigh. He hung up the phone, wishing with all his might that it didn't have to be like this. None of this should be happening. But it was.

The only thing that made this even the slightest bit worthwhile was the fact that these wounded had families, too. Someone back home loved them. Someone was waiting for them to come home. And it was Hawkeye's job to make sure that they did. Without a word, Hawkeye followed Radar into the OR. If he couldn't be back home with his father right now, he would at least make Daniel Pierce proud by doing something great. He would save lives.

The End